Nord User Forum

Yes, the Amber is a Grotrian as well, but a rather different sample.

I like the new Pearl Upright - it has a nice character and variation throughout the range. It also has a nice long sustain (unrealistically short sustain has long been a problem with Nord's Piano sounds, but less so with the most recent additions). I downloaded the L version and found no specific flaws so far...

maurus wrote:Yes, the Amber is a Grotrian as well, but a rather different sample.

I like the new Pearl Upright - it has a nice character and variation throughout the range. It also has a nice long sustain (unrealistically short sustain has long been a problem with Nord's Piano sounds, but less so with the most recent additions). I downloaded the L version and found no specific flaws so far...

Totally agree with you : very few Nord piano samples have a long sustain and Pearl upright is one of them.
I like it mostly for that reason but it has character too and we are very close to the sound of the John Lennon piano in "Imagine" for example.

On the other hand, the original sound is too deaf for my taste, I tweak it with much more treble, adding too a few mid and bass.

>but it has character too <

>it has a nice character<

Whatever that means - it's a word that gets tossed around this forum an awful lot (search on it and you'll see). Might be time to define it for the noobs, including me

"Character" in a piano sample, some options:

A) Doesn't sound like a Yamaha.
B) Has several out-of-tune keys, but not essential ones that would be irritating to hear all the time.
C) Has an old-timey or even cheapish sound that makes it fun to play for maybe one song or two, especially if you are hosting a Wild West party.
D) Sounds like a large quilt has been thrown over it.

Please add others....

E) : mainly concern upright pianos

Gambold wrote: Whatever that means - it's a word that gets tossed around this forum an awful lot (search on it and you'll see). Might be time to define it for the noobs, including me

In all fairness, when you have to borrow from another medium (=language) to describe something that's inherently difficult to describe in words (=music), it's only to be expected that terms get vague in meaning. The same word gets inevitably used in countless ways, none of them clearly defined.

Another favourite example of mine is "color". It has been used to mean literally anything from timbre to voicing to scale over chord to whatnot. Yet the critique is easily made but not easily fixed: we are using words to describe something complex that by definition defies them. You can only expect so much from words. The only thing to do is to try the sample and find out whether you like or not.

>Yes, the Amber is a Grotrian as well, but a rather different sample.>

Looks like the Amber is sampled on the Grotrian 132, which is still in production. The Pearl is a Grotrian 120, which is not currently manufactured, and looks to have been discontinued for some time.

The number refers to the height of the piano in centimeters.

Character: something recognisably unique.

Yamaha has a typical character, which is inherently bright (some might say sharp and biting).

It’s not that meaningless, if you consider it the opposite of “eh, sounds like a piano to me”.

Gambold wrote:>but it has character too <

>it has a nice character<

Whatever that means - it's a word that gets tossed around this forum an awful lot (search on it and you'll see). Might be time to define it for the noobs, including me

"Character" in a piano sample, some options:

A) Doesn't sound like a Yamaha.
B) Has several out-of-tune keys, but not essential ones that would be irritating to hear all the time.
C) Has an old-timey or even cheapish sound that makes it fun to play for maybe one song or two, especially if you are hosting a Wild West party.
D) Sounds like a large quilt has been thrown over it.

Please add others....

Easy to find just negative flavored definitions only, eh?

I’ll take a shot at it-

“Character” as applied to a piano sound is all about imperfection, even decay, both of which in pianos are associated with having been around for many spins around the Sun. For many people, myself included, the sound of an upright that is in less than pristine condition evokes a strong sense memory, perhaps attached to places and people we have lost, or a different time in our lives. We are ourselves aging and decaying; a beat up old upright is a kindred spirit in life’s journey. It falls short just like we do. It’s also a vanishing breed in the wild, adding to the sense of time passing and loss. Also, sounding old is associated with good stuff like experience and wisdom. It’s, for lack of a better word, a vibe.

The example of “Imagine” somebody cited is instructive. Reportedly Lennon had a completely in tune grand piano at his disposal when he recorded it, but opted for the less than perfect upright next to it instead. It’s hard to imagine that track having the same impact were the piano sound pristine, at least for me. The imperfections give a feeling, a vibe, a character that make the song sound more timeless.

The Pearl Upright is a keeper for me, a straight substitution for the Bambino, which is similar but not as expressive to play, to my ears. Luckily I had the couple extra fee megs that the Medium Pearl required over the Medium Bambino.

YMMV, of course. Not everybody has use for vibey uprights. That’s OK.

> Easy to find just negative flavored definitions only, eh?<

Is not sounding like a Yamaha a negative definition?